Top 10 young assets

[TD 21]

James, Howard, Paul, Durant, Rose, Griffin, Wall, Williams and Anthony. Who's number ten? Would you argue with any of the top 9? Would you leave the top 9 as is, but change the order? Keep in mind, this isn't about ranking these players at the moment. It's about their potential and value.

Number ten: If Bynum and Oden didn't have such major injuries, it would be between them. But considering their recent past and how it could impact their future, it's between Rondo and Westbrook.

As far as the order, the top two and last two are no brainers. It's the middle five that are tougher. Particularly the four between Paul and Williams, because with them we won't have a clearer picture for a few years.

I'm putting Paul third because even though his explosiveness isn't all the way back, he's still 2nd in PER (1st much of the season) and 1st in win shares. If he ever get's back to where he was, I can't see those other guys being better than him.

[DMC]

Wade is only 2 years older than Melo.

[crazylakerfan001]

Most of those players are not young assests anymore. You have consider age and potential. Let's face it lebron, Paul, williams, melo, and Howard are who they are and they probably won't get any better than this.

[Chieflion]

Tyreke Evans.

[rayjayjohnson]

gotta say steph curry. if onyl he was on a good team

[Baseline]

Kevin Love is leading the league in rebounding, which is astounding pretty much everybody. I'd put him on the list.

And I think Westbrook should be on the list, and ahead of John Wall.

[Baseline]

Sorry, I meant to say that both Rondo and Westbrook whould be ahead of John Wall.

[The Reckoning]

Jrue Holiday. he's not old enough to drink yet.

[sefant77]

Roddy

[tlongII]

Nicolas Batuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

[Killakobe81]

LOL Paul anybody that is damaged goods (no offense he is playing wel considering he is not as explosive) should not be top 5 on this list.

howard is still improving so I would say he belongs but as others have pointed out many are past the point of "young" at least in the number of seasons. When you consider the truly young (relative) assets:

1. howard/Durant
2. Rose
3. Blake (almost took 2nd)
4. Rondo
5. Westbrook
6. Wall
7. Love

Thing is tough to judge but my guess is if you take hometown bias if you had rose and i offered you durant (or Dwight) you would take Kevin ... Unless you had a top 5 PG already. I put rose over Blake because of the knee issue otherwise I might take Blake 2nd to Durant. Durant has to be the choice for me because even though I enjoy watching the highlights of Rose and Blake Durant's game looks like it will "age" the best. He will always have a high release point and soft touch ...without athleticism, Blake and rose (westbrook too) will be good but not grear they rely on it a great deal TBH ...

[21_Blessings]

Roddy

Ok

[mardigan]

Monta motherfucking Ellis should be in the top 10 I think. But it could be because he's my favorite player to watch.

[clambake]

boobwah is an untapped goldmine. i pity the other teams.

[jjktkk]

boobwah is an untapped goldmine. i pity the other teams.

You mean untapped potential.

[TD 21]

DMC, the line had to be drawn somewhere. Wade is within' a year of turning 30. At this point, he should no longer be looked at as a young player. The same goes for Stoudemire, who turns 29 this year. Those two are now middle aged players.

For those claiming that "James and Howard, etc." aren't young anymore, that's ridiculous. Just because they're established superstars and no longer up and coming, doesn't mean they're not young. I know they're middle aged (or at least close) in terms of mileage, but they're 26 and 25.

The obvious one I forgot about who merits mention for the tenth spot is Bosh. I'm not saying I'd pick him, but the guy was 5th in PER last season. I know it's not the end all be all, but when Westbrook was there this season, people couldn't stop singing his praises. The same goes for Love, who's not quite in the top five.

Love is another one, but he's just so limited athletically from a defensive standpoint. You've got to at least have the potential to be decent defensively. People will say "what about Anthony?". But in the right environment, he at least has the physical tools to be a decent defender. Love doesn't.

KillaKobe, I get what you're saying with Paul. But I couldn't not have him third at this point. Not when he's not even all the way back explosive wise, yet is still 2nd in PER (1st for much of the season) and 1st in win shares. He's only 26. I'm willing to give him another season to see if he can get his explosiveness all the way back (or at least close) and resume being the 23/11/5 guy he was pre-injury.

If he can't get back to that level, then combined with the obvious improvements Durant, Rose, Griffin and Wall (among others) will make in that time, obviously I'd have to re-evaluate his ranking. But right now, I'm still giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[Bito Corleone]

Most of those players are not young assests anymore. You have consider age and potential. Let's face it lebron, Paul, williams, melo, and Howard are who they are and they probably won't get any better than this.

This...I think to be considered "young" in the NBA a player should probably be 23 or under.

[JamStone]

Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
Derrick Rose
Kevin Love
Tyreke Evans
Stephen Curry
Danilo Gallinari
Russell Westbrook
John Wall
Eric Gordon

[Killakobe81]

Kevin Durant
Blake Griffin
Derrick Rose
Kevin Love
Tyreke Evans
Stephen Curry
Danilo Gallinari
Russell Westbrook
John Wall
Eric Gordon

Good list. like the inclusion of Gallinari but it seems the nuggs arent very interested in him in a Melo deal ...and I dont see why. yes he sucks on defense but he has one of those 80's style Kiki vandeweghe type games and is a great shooter with a surprising first step with a soft touch around the basket. No way I trade Melo without getting him in the deal. even if Nuggs dont love him pretty sure you could flip him to someone else who does ...

[TD 21]

JamStone, have you lost your damn mind? Gallinari's not even in the discussion. Love, Evans, Curry, Gallinari and Westbrook over Wall? Wall has best player on a good team potential (maybe championship team; remains to be seen), none of those other guys have that. At least one of them, Gallinari, doesn't even have best player on a bad team potential.

[JamStone]

JamStone, have you lost your damn mind? Gallinari's not even in the discussion. Love, Evans, Curry, Gallinari and Westbrook over Wall? Wall has best player on a good team potential (maybe championship team; remains to be seen), none of those other guys have that. At least one of them, Gallinari, doesn't even have best player on a bad team potential.

John Wall has been okay. How has his play translated to winning games? The Wizards are 13-31. They're on pace for 24 wins. They won 26 games last year. Putting up pretty good numbers on a horrible team doesn't do much for me. I need to see his play impact the win column for me to move him up. Wall has the potential to be a very good player. I'll reserve judgment until he starts making enough impact to win games. I thought he'd make a bigger difference than he has.

Gallinari has an intangible quality that I think can mean really good things for the NBA to market. His international/European appeal in New York city can mean really great things if he becomes more than just a "good" player. If he can get anywhere close to Peja/Dirk caliber play in a city like New York for a team like the Knicks, he can really be a huge asset for the NBA not only by his performance on the court but his international appeal to help promote the NBA. I look at that as being a very big "asset" for the NBA.

[TD 21]

I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about his value. Who has more long term potential? Would the Wizards even consider for a second trading Wall for Gallinari? That type of thing.

You need to see impact in the win column? Then what's the defensive liability Love doing at number four? Unlike Wall, who's been in and out of the lineup and hasn't even played a half of a season yet, Love's in his third season on the Timberwolves and they have an even worse record than the Wizards.

And what impact in the win column has the erratic, vastly overrated Gallinari made? The Knicks are barely over .500 and the main reasons they are, are Stoudemire, Felton and Chandler. I get the marketing aspect of it, but even in the event Gallinari reaches anywhere close to Stojakovic/Nowitzki caliber (which is highly unlikely), he still doesn't even come close to having the marketing potential of Wall.

There's a difference between "putting up pretty good numbers on a horrible team" and having the upside to be the best player on a good team. If you were as knowledgeable as you think you are, you'd be able to tell the difference. Wait two years and Wall will probably be having the type of season Rose is having now and be considered amongst the top players in the game.

[JamStone]

Kevin Love is putting up 21.4 PPG and 15.6 RPG. Both Wall and Love are on bad teams. Love is the more impressive player right now. Kevin Love is leading the league in rebounding. Come on now.

Gallinari being an "asset" to the NBA, as I explained, has as much to do with his international appeal and the fact he plays for the Knicks in New York as it does with his performance. I don't even hear about Wall anymore. He has a nice assists average. But he's been underwhelming for the most part. He's shooting 40% from the field. Even if you take the games he's missed into consideration, the Wizards are still 10-22 in games he's played in. Still on pace for just 26 wins. I disagree Wall has more marketing potential than Gallinari if Gallinari becomes a star. If Gallinari becomes a star on the Knicks, he has the potential to be big for the NBA.

Wall can move up when he proves he can make more of a difference. He's supposed to be a franchise point guard. I expected more out of him, even this early in his NBA career. I'll wait two years for that season Wall will have that's like Rose, and then he can move up.

[HarlemHeat37]

Gallo is one of the most overrated prospects in the NBA, tbh, which is what usually happens when a player plays for the Knicks..he's one of the worst defenders in the NBA, and he can't create offense on a consistent basis..he's an amazing shooter, he has the potential to be a #3 option on a good team, maybe, but he doesn't have the potential to be a star player IMO..I don't think he belongs with most of the names that have been listed..

I'll rank them by 25 years old and under:

1- Dwight Howard(25?)
2- Kevin Durant
3- Derrick Rose
4- Blake Griffin
5- Kevin Love
6- Russell Westbrook
7- Rajon Rondo
8- Tyreke Evans
9- Eric Gordon
10- Stephen Curry

Curry, Eric Gordon,john wall,

[TD 21]

I said nothing about who the more impressive player is right now. There's no question it's Love, but that had nothing to do with what I was asking or saying.

It's funny though, everyone will tell you that they value defense, but Love can't guard his own shadow yet everyone's on the band wagon. Love is a very good player, but there's no way he can be the best player on a good team. Heck, he can't even drag this Timberwolves team to something resembling respectability. So how can he be a top five young asset? No talk about his defense or his inability to lead his team to respectability, everyone's caught up in the gaudy numbers. Wonder why . . .

Wall should be higher on your list. A lot of you seem to be missing the point of this thread. This is about potential, not who's having the best season or is playing the best at the moment. Would anyone take the future of Love, Evans, Gordon, Curry, etc. over Wall's? Those guys have All-Star potential, he's got Hall-of-Fame potential.

As far as Gallinari, as I and Harlem said, he has no business even being mentioned amongst any of these players. Never mind the first tier, there's too many second tier players that rank ahead of him for him to even deserve mention.

[hsxvvd]

In terms of an "asset" you've got to value size more. I definately think Bynum deserves to be up there. Despite the injuries, he's as young as those others in the list, and he has both the size and talent that make him as valuable as any of those names on the list, expect perhaps for Durant.

[Werdsniper2]

Russel Westbrook is the obvious choice here. As far as I am concerned, he has been one of (if not THE) most dominating players this year. Absolute monster.

[Killakobe81]

I'll say you are right defense is important but rebounding is extremely valuable to TEAM defense ...if your good defenders do a good job forcing a miss what good does it do if you allow offensive rebounds? In fact that is EXTREMELY deflating ...that is why 2nd chance points are tracked.
Love is the best at taking the ball away from the offense and giving it back to his team, preventing 2nd chance points. Yes, his team sucks. But before these past month so did the Clippers ...yet everyone is slobbing on blake. Im sure if Love had Eric gordon INSTEAD of Wes and Baron instead of ridnour ... they would have a similar record.

I agree he sucks on defense, he had a tough time moving his feet at UCLA ...but to be dismissed because of that alone makes no sense. Plus the term asset is subjective. Jamstone and maybe myself are some of the few who took the term literal. Many of you just ranked who you thought the best "young" players were and argued for where the cutoff is.
Jam defended his pick of Gallo (i did not have him on my list but think he is underrated that is why I compare him to 80's SF who could score but not defend). I just gave reasons I listed Love for the on the courtskills.

Off the court let's be honest, the league is short of "all-star" caliber whiteboys. And the fact that both Love and Galinari (especially love) have fair skin, increases their marketability, and makes them a greater asset than a african-american with the exact same skill set. I am not saying that is right, but it's the truth.

[Phillip]

get John Wall off the fucking list. him and Brandon Jennings both are going to struggle to sniff all star games in their future. maybe getting into one or two, but there are certainly going to be plenty of far superior players to them, such as Derrick Rose and Russel Westbrook.

[JamStone]

Being subpar defenders didn't prevent guys like Amare Stoudemire and Dirk Nowitzki into becoming star players in the league. And neither of those guys dominating in rebounding the way Love has been able to do. If you want to talk about potential, well if Kevin Love can put up 21/15 as a 22 year old third season player, I'd say I like his potential to get even a little bit better in few more years. He's not the most athletic big man and he's not particularly long for his height. But he leads the league in rebounding. So what does that tell me? It tells me he works his ass off on the court. Someone who works that hard has the "potential" to remain a really good player or get better more so than a guy who is just naturally talented but won't put the work into his game. Say what you will, Blake Griffin isn't that much better a defender than Love. You won't hear critics about Blake Griffin's defense because of all the highlight dunks.

John Wall has the potential to be very good. I'd like to see him get better first. That's all. A few years ago, we could probably talk about how guys like OJ Mayo, Michael Beasley, Marvin Williams, Greg Oden, and Mike Conley could become stars in the league. But you just never know how players will develop, grow, improve, handle the gift of getting paid millions to play basketball, deal with injuries. When you talk about upside or potential or predicting the greatness of players, it's an opinion. There is no right or wrong until we actually see the realization of the careers of those players. Sure guys like LeBron and Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard have better odds at succeeding. It was supposed to be the same with Marvin Williams and Greg Oden and Jay Williams. A lot can change in just a few years, in just one play, in a split second. So I don't see why anyone would be so adamant about a subjective opinion about a prediction of how good a player like John Wall is going to be or not. Maybe he does go the way of Derrick Rose. Maybe he follows the path of Steve Francis or Baron Davis. Or maybe he's the next Acie Law. Who knows? But the thread was asking for opinions and predictions, right? If I don't have the same opinion about John Wall as you do, so be it. It's not that deep.

As for Gallinari, I could agree he's probably overrated and it wouldn't surprise me if he is never anything more than a three point shooting role player like Walt Williams. But again, it's just my opinion that he could be something special. Pushing 6'11 and still enough quickness to play out on the perimeter. Three point stroke that looks like it will be one of the better jumpers in the league for a while. He might not reach the level of Dirk or even a younger Peja, but if he gets anywhere close, I think he'll be celebrated in New York. I do admit that Carmelo going to New York might alter that potential though. I think Amare has already started to do that a little bit, because I think Danilo could have taken the next step as a scorer if he were more of a focal point, and get closer to being a 20 point scorer this season. That would have been the next step. If he never becomes a star, it wouldn't shock me. But I still like his potential.

[Kyle Orton]

Someone who works that hard has the "potential" to remain a really good player or get better more so than a guy who is just naturally talented but won't put the work into his game.
That logic goes both ways. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you could just as easily say Kevin Love's work ethic has led to him already maximizing his potential and there's no way he can get any better. On the flip side, a young, athletic but immature player has the potential to get better and add a lot to his game, and he might mature with age and actually start putting work in to get better. No matter how hard Kevin Love works do you see anything major he could do to add to his game? He's already a stud but chances are isn't gonna get any better other than maybe add some to his post game.

[JamStone]

Fair point.

I still take the guy who works his ass off to maximize his game.

[hater]

James, Howard, Paul, Durant, Rose, Griffin, Wall, Williams and Anthony.

no Roddy? thread fail

French Ghandi about to put a smackdown on all those scrubs

[The Reckoning]

jrue holiday i saiiiiid. dude is the first player born in the 1990s to play in the NBA and is starting point guard for the 76ers.

[Kyle Orton]

This is just me but some proven guy like Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard or Kevin Durant shouldn't really be described as a "young asset". IMO a young "asset" is a young guy who hasn't really done anything yet except for flashes but is an "asset" because of what kinda player he might be down the road. Guys like Rondo, Westbrook, Durant, Howard etc. are more young studs than young "assets". I think of guys like Serge Ibaka, DeMar Derozan, Roddy Beaubois, Derrick Favors, Goran Dragic, Mareese Speights, JJ Hickson, etc.

[Kyle Orton]

Fair point.

I still take the guy who works his ass off to maximize his game.
As do I, I've never been a fan of taking risks on young guys who have been in the league for 4-5 years and have always had a terrible work ethic, I was just saying that they might have more "potential" to get better than Kevin Love. I will say that Kevin Love is more of a "sure thing" to get better because you know that if there's a way Love can get better he's going to work his ass off at is.

[Killakobe81]

I like Holliday if i went further down the list he would of been included Demar Derozan too ...

[TD 21]

Killa, I was a fan of Love's game before it became popular to slobber over him, but he's become downright overrated, just like every other star white player. How could anyone think he's the fourth best young asset in the league? Let's be honest, if this were Randolph, Bosh, etc., putting up 20+ ppg and 10+ rpg on a losing team (and they've been that guy), people would be picking them apart for their team's poor win/loss record and their lack of defense. I get that Love's rebounding numbers are more gaudy, but he's receiving no such criticism.

Phil, Jennings isn't in the same class as Wall as a prospect. You've obviously misunderstood this thread. It's not about right now. No one would argue that Wall is having a better season than Love, for example. But long term, who in their right mind would take Love over Wall? Maybe Wall doesn't fully reach his potential, who knows? But his potential is so vast that you'd be a fool not to take that over Love's, who as good as he is, has a more limited ceiling.

Jam, it's not about being a star. Love is already a star, it's about can he be an MVP candidate? Is he a Hall-of-Fame talent? That type of thing. I don't see it and that's why he has no business being ranked as the 4th best young asset.

Griffin has defensive potential though, that's the difference. Griffin could become a good defender (he's also only a rookie). Try as he might, Love will always be severely limited defensively. People just overlook that when it's a white guy who's star caliber, then nitpick it to death when it's a black guy who's star caliber.

But this is largely based on potential, not right now. I made the thread, so stick to my criteria. I'm not arguing that Wall is some superstar right now. Clearly, he's not. But he has the potential to be. Of the guys you mentioned, the only one I thought had even close to superstar potential was Oden and even then, it was never as an offensive player. It was more as a defensive/rebounding force. I thought he could be 16/12/2.5 guy and a top 2 defensive anchor.

It's tough to explain, but if you've watched a lot of basketball, you'd just know with Wall. You're right, you can never be 100% sure, but short of guys like O'Neal, Duncan, James, etc., where you knew instantly, Wall is in the next class as far as being a sure bet. I'm not saying he ends up as a top 15 player all-time, but he's got Hall-of-Fame type potential.

Gallinari, I don't see it at all. Extremely limited ceiling. Forgot top ten, he's way behind the Favors', Cousins', etc.

[Killakobe81]

Killa, I was a fan of Love's game before it became popular to slobber over him, but he's become downright overrated, just like every other star white player. How could anyone think he's the fourth best young asset in the league? Let's be honest, if this were Randolph, Bosh, etc., putting up 20+ ppg and 10+ rpg on a losing team (and they've been that guy), people would be picking them apart for their team's poor win/loss record and their lack of defense. I get that Love's rebounding numbers are more gaudy, but he's receiving no such criticism.

Phil, Jennings isn't in the same class as Wall as a prospect. You've obviously misunderstood this thread. It's not about right now. No one would argue that Wall is having a better season than Love, for example. But long term, who in their right mind would take Love over Wall? Maybe Wall doesn't fully reach his potential, who knows? But his potential is so vast that you'd be a fool not to take that over Love's, who as good as he is, has a more limited ceiling.

Jam, it's not about being a star. Love is already a star, it's about can he be an MVP candidate? Is he a Hall-of-Fame talent? That type of thing. I don't see it and that's why he has no business being ranked as the 4th best young asset.

Griffin has defensive potential though, that's the difference. Griffin could become a good defender (he's also only a rookie). Try as he might, Love will always be severely limited defensively. People just overlook that when it's a white guy who's star caliber, then nitpick it to death when it's a black guy who's star caliber.

But this is largely based on potential, not right now. I made the thread, so stick to my criteria. I'm not arguing that Wall is some superstar right now. Clearly, he's not. But he has the potential to be. Of the guys you mentioned, the only one I thought had even close to superstar potential was Oden and even then, it was never as an offensive player. It was more as a defensive/rebounding force. I thought he could be 16/12/2.5 guy and a top 2 defensive anchor.

It's tough to explain, but if you've watched a lot of basketball, you'd just know with Wall. You're right, you can never be 100% sure, but short of guys like O'Neal, Duncan, James, etc., where you knew instantly, Wall is in the next class as far as being a sure bet. I'm not saying he ends up as a top 15 player all-time, but he's got Hall-of-Fame type potential.

Gallinari, I don't see it at all. Extremely limited ceiling. Forgot top ten, he's way behind the Favors', Cousins', etc.

No I dont think Love is HOF caliber. but all-star a few times? Possible. But
having someone who can rebound AND Shoot the way he has is a valuable asset and he is also a good passer ... AND WHITE!! THAT is an asset in a black dominated league.

How many of these guys listed are potential HOF'ers?

[sefant77]

JJ Barrera

[TD 21]

No I dont think Love is HOF caliber. but all-star a few times? Possible. But
having someone who can rebound AND Shoot the way he has is a valuable asset and he is also a good passer ... AND WHITE!! THAT is an asset in a black dominated league.

How many of these guys listed are potential HOF'ers?

I've repeatedly said how good a player he is. I'm not saying he can't play, I'm just saying his strengths are magnified and his weaknesses are masked and the same thing happens with Nowitzki, Nash, etc. Is that coincidence? Good as he is, he's not a Hall-of-Fame talent. The only way he'd make it is if he get's a Gasol type trade in a few years to where he ends up as the second or third best player on a championship team and wins two or three titles. He's not a stand alone Hall-of-Famer in the making, though.

It is an asset that he's white, I get that. But is that enough to rank him ahead of a guy like Wall? Not a chance. Especially considering it's not as if Wall isn't marketable.

Of the nine I listed, all nine are Hall-of-Fame talents. That's not saying all nine automatically make it, though.

[Killakobe81]

I've repeatedly said how good a player he is. I'm not saying he can't play, I'm just saying his strengths are magnified and his weaknesses are masked and the same thing happens with Nowitzki, Nash, etc. Is that coincidence? Good as he is, he's not a Hall-of-Fame talent. The only way he'd make it is if he get's a Gasol type trade in a few years to where he ends up as the second or third best player on a championship team and wins two or three titles. He's not a stand alone Hall-of-Famer in the making, though.

It is an asset that he's white, I get that. But is that enough to rank him ahead of a guy like Wall? Not a chance. Especially considering it's not as if Wall isn't marketable.

Of the nine I listed, all nine are Hall-of-Fame talents. That's not saying all nine automatically make it, though.

I did not include Wall even though I agree he is a top asset, because i dont like players with injuries early, especially if they rely on their athleticism and their game lacks polish. To tough to judge him. That is why I did not put him on my list. But of course he is an asset ...my guess Denver would trade melo for him straight up even though they have 2 pg's who are playing better than him right now. he has that much potential.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I don't see how you can put John fuckin Wall in a list with those other guys but to each his own.

[TD 21]

I did not include Wall even though I agree he is a top asset, because i dont like players with injuries early, especially if they rely on their athleticism and their game lacks polish. To tough to judge him. That is why I did not put him on my list. But of course he is an asset ...my guess Denver would trade melo for him straight up even though they have 2 pg's who are playing better than him right now. he has that much potential.

"Your guess"? Of course they would. Even if Anthony didn't want out, if they could get Wall for him, I can't see them turning it down. Sure, he wouldn't fill a positional need, but with a guy with that type of potential, you don't worry about that. Plus, it would free them up to trade Lawson for a PF.

Wall hasn't had a series of significant injuries, like Roy, Oden, Bynum, etc., to where he can't be relied on going forward.

CBF, I don't see how you couldn't see how. Unless you've made the increasingly common mistake of thinking this is about this season.

[The Reckoning]

jrue holiday i saiiiiid. dude is the first player born in the 1990s to play in the NBA and is starting point guard for the 76ers.



bump i saiiiiiid

[DMC]

Took you long enough... in a month when they win again you can bump it again. I reckon... :)